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WELCOME TO CUSTER COUNTY, MT. This is Custer County Montana web site. My name is Jo Ann Boyd Scott. I grew up in Montana and my heart is in Montana. This is “Big Sky Country”. I will do lookups, e-mail me. Custer County, Genealogy Trails website is available for adoption. If you are interested in hosting this county or any others site for us, view our Volunteer Information page and contact Kim. (a desire to transcribe data and basic webpage-making skills are required).*Note: Unless otherwise stated, ALL DATA and INFO are donated, transcribed and submitted by JoAnn Boyd Scott and the "Friends of Free Genealogy" I keep a folder in the computer which has all "Friends of Free Genealogy" which includes names, date, email and copy of the data sent. Here at Genealogy Trails, we will always give contributors the credit they deserve when they contribute data to our sites. And we will ALWAYS abide by a researcher's request to remove their contributed data if ever asked to do so. THIS APPLIES TO ALL COUNTIES This site is copyrighted 2007-2008, images included. e-mail Jo Ann

SONNETTE, AN ELECTION CAMPAIGN
  by Ashton Jones

Csborn Pemberton and I drove over to Sonnette to t the figures, leaving Broadus about the time that I polling places closed. "When we arrived at the Sonnette Community Hall,
the judges had the ballots I was ready for the counting. The judges immediately through all of the ballots counting only the votes : for either Barry Goldwater or L. B. Johnson, and as we had these figures we raced back to town, probably exceeding the speed limit, was in such a hurry to phone in the results that I not remember the private telephone installed at the Fire Hall but went to my home and immediately
found the number in San Francisco where I had been told to call. There were certain things I was to say to the operator which would indicate the precinct, etc.,and after I had given this information , she asked for the results of the voting in the precinct. I said "Goldwater 19, Johnson 17."operator said, "You must be kidding."

 TWIN PINE CEMETERY Twin Pine Cemetery land was donated by and Straud Bottles in 1916. Adamson suggested the name "Twin Pine" and later he was buried there. The first grave was of Edith Bottles. Most graves are marked with tomb stones and others with markers furnished by Funeral Home, Miles City, Montana, late twenties the people living near by donated fence the cemetery. The last few years the Home Demonstration Club has planted flowers before Memorial Day as a club project, are the names and dates of death of those rest in this cemetery:

 Edith Bottles, 1915;

Adamson, 1917;

 Bert Adamson, 1921;

 Lynn 1922;

Gype Baby, 1922

 S. A Surgeon Baby 1922,

   Helen Bottle 1925 

E.M. Gardner 1928

• Pierre N. 1930:..
   
•  Mary Quebbeman, 1930;
• C. H. Mont-Geneva Lewis, 1938;
• Harvey Bottles, Gardner, 1937;
• Walter Lewis, 1943;
• Minta Mary B. Montgomery, 1949

RECREATION

Marie Schwin Rapp Reports on Early-day Dance.-day amusements consisted mainly of picnics. The dances were usually held nother of the ranch houses, although there hall at each Ashland and Stacey. Whole towns attend, bringing all the children, for it was the only opportunity for far-apart neighbors to gather and visit. Each family would bring it midnight there would be a bountiful buffet, and visiting would continue until dawn, it would be light enough to see the way home, young people rode horseback many miles dance. We girls would wear our riding our dancing dresses, our shoes, etc., across the backs of our saddles. When the ranch where we were to dance, we into a bedroom to change our clothing air. Those of us who needed some curls the old curling iron down into the lamp it up. and proceed with the curl-making. ! waltz, the two-step, square dance, the hottische, the polka, and the Suzannah and are still a favorite pastime although are very different than in early days.

• Literary Society

It has been pointed out that the Literary Society was one of the first entertainment groups organized in the Selway Community after the arrival of the homesteaders. The Literary Society provided wholesome, worthwhile merriment for the entire family. The program was varied. Generally it included plays, debates, group singing, and readings. One reading always given was the Literary Paper—local news interwoven with humor, philosophy and satire. Literary meetings were held in the evening at a home, a schoolhouse, or the Jew Hall.

Card Parties

In the Selway-Sonnette vicinity, during the winter months from 1924 to 1936, neighbors enjoyed many pleasant evenings when they met regularly at the different homes to play bridge or five hundred. While card parties have not been held regularly in the intervening years, there have been many delightful parties.

Baseball

When a group of men organized the Sonnette Baseball Team in 1928, they struck a victory in civic cooperation. A wave of excitement, enthusiasm and loyalty created by the ball games was contagious and curved from home to home, until almost the entire neighborhood was in attendance and backing their team at games on summer Sunday afternoons. As a worthwhile sport and community entertainment it outscored any other that had hit the vicinity to that time. A series of eight summers was the run that this Sonnette Baseball Team experienced. In the field of training the players may have been diamonds in the rough, but to Sonnette fans they were All Stars.

Regular and substitute players on the Sonnette team, during the eight years, included: Bob Sterling, Clifford Sterling, Glen Sterling, Dave Sterling, Gaius Isaacs, Felix Isaacs, Sport Isaacs, Carl W. Smith, Chet Maple, Finis Bearrow, Charley Dudley, Otis Palmer, Les Enger, Ray McQueen, Jack Ridenour, George Mohl, Jack Ratliff, Pete LeVeque, Chet Hancock, and Charles Hodsdon. Among the umpires were Wallace Palmer, Bert Collinge, and C. W. Smith.

Teams in the league with whom Sonnette played were: Broadus, Coalwood, Kingsley, Doyle Creek, Ashland, Bear Creek, Otter Creek, Olive and The Outcasts.

In later years, (1950-1953) a Sonnette Baseball Team was organized and again scored a home run in community interest. Oftentimes on Sundays when Sonnette played at home, a picnic was held at the Sonnette Hall for players and fans.

Sonnette players included: Bob Sterling, Don Sterling, Allyn Issacs, Lars Knudson, Charles Alderman, Ernie Hancock, Harold McCullough, Larry Isaacs, Don Isaacs, Gaius Isaacs, Keith Mitchell, Allen Ridenour, Jack Ridenour, Warren Huckins, Joe Sterling, Clarence Carlat, Sammy Lei, Carl Phillips, and Grant Gatlin. Managers at different times were Jack Ridenour, Warren Huckins, and Keith Mitchell. Umpires were Alvin Steadman, Heber McCullough, Charley Dudley, and Grant Gatlin. There may have been other players whose names cannot be recalled.

Broadus, Ashland, Doyle Creek, Volborg, Otter, Coalwood, East Fork, Baking Powder, and Biddle were the other league members.

Special thanks to Echoing Footsteps, Powder River County Extension Homemakers Council.